Rt. 28 Disruptions Expected This Fall

 HARWICH – Major water main installation projects and a state Department of Transportation upgrade of Route 28 from the Herring River Bridge to the Dennis town line will start this fall, creating traffic disruptions and inconveniences for residents.

That was the message in a June 10 public forum on project updates and information from the water/wastewater commission, the town’s engineering firms, and MassDOT representatives. The projects are scheduled to begin shortly after Labor Day.

The water/wastewater project will install new 12-inch water mains along Route 28 from South Street in Harwich Port to the Herring River Bridge, a distance of 2.4 miles. The project is expected to take two years to complete. 

The MassDOT project, extending from the Herring River Bridge to the Dennis town line, will also include a new 12-inch water main replacement and a dry sewer pipe for future sewering by the town. The MassDOT project will include roadway, sidewalk, drainage and electric/telecom improvements. 

The project duration, according to Thomas Currier, a MassDOT project manager, could be five years. The roadway work, which includes two 11-foot lanes, a five-foot shoulder and five-foot sidewalk, and will also provide ornamental highlights, is “restoring the nice, historic nature of that part of town,” Currier said. 

Currier said the road work can be done quickly, but installation utilities and relocation of utility poles will likely tie up the project for a longer period.

Dan Pelletier, the department’s water/wastewater engineer from Water Works Consulting, said the existing six- to eight-inch cast iron water mains were installed in the 1930s. There were six breaks in 2014 resulting in service interruption and water loss. In 2018, a break impacting 27 gate values caused a shutdown of the water main, which took 21 hours to repair, he said.

Along with the new mains, new fire hydrants, gate values, and domestic water improvements, horizontal direction drilling will be done to place a new 12-inch main beneath the Herring River. There could be some disruption of service in a stretch between Earle Road and Grey Neck Road where a temporary water line will be installed, according to Pelletier.

 “The residents have to come first,” said Water/Wastewater Commissioner Noreen Donahue. “It’s our primary goal. It’s a huge project for a small department. I hope by the end of the day you will have your water back.”

 Traffic will be a major concern during this time. One travel lane will remain open during the water main work from South Street to the Herring River along Route 28. Detours would be needed when curb-to-curb paving occurs. Road construction will take place daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and trench paving will occur at the end of each day. 

 There will be a moratorium on construction for the town water main project from mid-June to Labor Day, according to Pelletier. The MassDOT project will have a moratorium from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

 One resident questioned whether traffic impacts have been determined for Lower County Road, which is likely to serve as an alternate route to the one-lane traffic on Route 28. 

 “We haven’t looked directly at that,” said Pelletier,

 “We’ll be trying to have one lane open,” Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jason Trepanier said.

 Town Administrator Jay McGrail said he would have a conversation with Police Chief Kevin Considine about traffic impacts from the projects.

 Harwich has a lot of sewer construction work going on, McGrail noted, including projects in East Harwich and, soon, Great Sand Lakes. Communications will be critical, he said.

 “It’s going to be really hard, but we will get through it,” McGrail said.

 Trepanier said another informational hearing will be scheduled for Aug. 20, just before the start of the projects.